By IANS
Kannur (Kerala) : Tension persisted here Friday with a body being recovered and another person hacked to death taking the death toll to six in the violence that broke out between cadres of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) two days ago.
The body of Kallai Aneesh, 30, an activist of CPI-M was found on the roadside at Panoor near Thalassery in Kannur district and a BJP worker was hacked to death at Kodiyeri village, 30 km from district headquarters.
The BJP is observing Friday as a ‘protest day’, alleging that the CPI-M has unleashed a violent campaign in Kannur district against the saffron party.
On Thursday, three people were killed when workers of the CPI-M and the BJP clashed in Thalassery town and its surrounding areas following an attack on a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader.
Kannur district has been a hotbed of political violence between the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the RSS.
A group of people attacked RSS leader Sumesh in Thalassery town Wednesday afternoon.
In a retaliatory attack, CPI-M activist Illikkunnath Ranjith was hacked to death in the town. Later in the evening, two RSS activists Santhosh and Nigil were killed in separate incidents.
One more person died Thursday.
Kerala’s Director General of Police Raman Srivastava who reached Kannur to take stock of the situation said: “these are planned and targeted murders. It is different from a riot situation”. Police have issued prohibitory orders in and around Thalassery.
The DGP said it is impossible to know who are going to be targeted and where as some of these murders are taking place in remote and largely inaccessible areas. He rejected reports that government had intelligence inputs about outbreak of violence in the district.